GETTING THAT MO’ BACK
January 7, 2009 by R.C. Cola
It looks like the luck of the Irish is fading for the Boston Celtics.
Fresh off a humiliating loss to the league’s worst offensive team, it’s clear the Celtics have lost a step since tearing through the NBA for the first two months. The Celtics ran into a buzz saw Christmas Day against the Los Angeles Lakers, and have seemingly lost their way. Their struggle to find that winning way again illustrates how tough it is to keep the momentum going, and how fickle lady luck can be.
It’s a phenomenon that affects many people. One second, you’re, riding high on a streak of sales or high test scores. Then you hit one snag, and things become unraveled. The trick is to get over your defeat quickly. But that’s not always so easily done.
Since starting 27-2 and winning 19 straight games, the Celtics have lost five of their lost seven games. The latest loss on Tuesday night came against the lowly Charlotte Bobcats in an overtime thriller. That a defensive player of Kevin Garnett’s caliber could let Bobcat rookie D.J. Augustin drop 20 points and Raymond Felton torch the Celtics for 25 points is telling of how far the team has fallen. The Bobcats had their second-best scoring night of the season.
Many Lakers fans assumed their team had fallen off the wagon after consecutive losses to the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic. But the team righted its ship and was able to regain that momentum before losing to the New Orleans Hornets on Tuesday.
The Celtics haven’t been so lucky. In a little more than a week, the team has lost to the New York Knicks and the Portland Trailblazers. The team hasn’t had a significant win in a while.
The two teams provide a case study on easily things can swing. After a string of rejections, a car salesman could sit back and accept it, or shrug it off and get back to the sales pitch. The difference lies in attitude.
Ernest Hemingway once said, “But man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated.”
Hemingway had a point. When a player, whether in the arena or on the streets, sets the right attitude, the loss lingers for only a short time. The mindset is the key to getting past the loss.
It’s unclear how the Celtics will respond to the latest defeat. With the amount of talent and experience on the team, momentum will eventually find its way back to th Irish.
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